Beyond the original contour: Legitimizing transition on eastern Kentucky's mined landscapes

Throughout the process of deindustrialization, land is dynamic and relational, valued as a natural resource and an essential element of local identity formation. In Central Appalachia, decommissioned mountaintop removal (MTR) mines offer a key lens for examining how land's value is being (re)imagined as coal declines and associated land-use transitions are navigated. This case study draws on mixed qualitative methods in an Eastern Kentucky county to examine perspectives from two groups: young adult community college students and key informants involved in land use decision-making. Data include 18 semi-structured interviews, three focus group discussions ( n = 29) incorporating a mental mapping exercise, and four photovoice contributions. Guided by the frameworks of practices of legitimation and land imaginaries, we ask: (1) who holds power over post-MTR land use trajectories, (2) how are such decisions legitimized and contested, and (3) what knowledge shapes young people's imaginaries of these landscapes. Through our findings, we advance the concept of deindustrialized land imaginaries to capture how land's value is renegotiated following industrial decline, displacing prior logics of extraction and control. We demonstrate that despite persistent “coal heritage” narratives, many participants—particularly youth—reject extraction-centered futures. However, these aspirations are constrained by entrenched ownership structures and limited pathways for accountability. Emerging precarity, including housing shortages, extreme weather, and employment insecurity, further undermines incumbent legitimating mechanisms sustaining corporate control. In response, young people articulate demands for more inclusive and accountable land use planning that facilitates resilient livelihoods.